Why Retire in Portugal?
10 Reasons to Retire in Portugal
Portugal is a democracy and a full partner in the European Union. All of the freedoms you treasure in the US, you will find in Portugal. There is a strong economy driven by the services sector, industry and agriculture.
For the ex-patriates, it is a nation where we can live comfortably for less money and less stress than we have come to expect in our own societies. There is a great variety of lifestyle options so you can choose the one that fits your needs and budget.
Portugal welcomes retirees and offers retiree laws and tax benefits that create advantages for ex-pats choosing to retire in their country. The average Portuguese person speaks English far more than they indicate at the first meetings. They just do not easily start conversations in English at the initial encounters.
Democratic Government
It’s a democracy with freedom & a member of the European Union.
Portugal is a democracy and a full partner in the European Union. Freedom of the press, assembly, speech, and religion are all found here. The Portugese are passionate about sharing their political beliefs and their concerns.
Maintains both a Military and a Police Force
A 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy; for most of the next six decades, repressive governments ran the country. In 1974, a left-wing military coup installed broad democratic reforms. The following year, Portugal granted independence to all of its African colonies. More…
Economic Environment
Service & Industry are cornerstones of the economy.
The services sector drives 75% of the GDP with industry accounting for 22 and agriculture a distant third at 2.6 %. The industrial focus is on textiles, clothing, footwear, wood and cork, paper, chemicals, More…
Portugal has a diverse economy.
Portugal is rated at 71 on the Gini index which measures distribution of family income. The Gini index measures the degree of inequality in the distribution of family income in a country. The more nearly equal a country’s income distribution, More…
The currency is the Euro.
Portugal has become a diversified and increasingly service-based economy since joining the European Community – the EU’s predecessor – in 1986. Over the following two decades, successive governments privatized many state-controlled firms and liberalized key areas of the economy, More…
The cost of living in Portugal can be much less than in the US or Europe.
How much you will need to live well in Portugal will be determined both by your lifestyle in your home nation and the lifestyle you choose in Portugal.
There’s such a great variety among lifestyle options More…
Social Environment
Tourists, long stay snow birds and retirees are welcome.
The local population is comfortable with, and welcoming of, expatriates. The retiree laws and tax benefits offered are indicative of the official position on expatriates as well.
The people of Portugal are friendly and speak more English than they first let on, but hang in there…
The average Portuguese person speaks far more English than they will let on. Don’t be surprised if, after weeks of struggles to order your coffee, the vendor breaks into perfect English, More…
The retiree laws and tax benefits are very favorable for expatriates.
The government has introduced a 10-year income tax exemption window for foreign residents moving to live in Portugal – and this extends to retirees moving in and receiving their income in the form of a pension. The tax holiday has been backdated to the 1st of January last year, More…
Climate
The climate varies from North to South and from coast to inland.
The climate in mainland Portugal varies from north to south and from coast to mountain. The south experiences Mediterranean weather with particularly mild winters and hot summers. Further north, the coast is warmed by the Gulf Stream, so winters are still mild and summers are warm. More inland, summers are hotter but the winter temperature drops. In winter you can even find snow in Portugal. More…